Inspecting the Motive for Pain

Pain. Burning pain. Stabbing Pain. Aching pain. Whatever the pain, it is usually a very common symptom of a chronic illness. In fact, I am in pain as I am writing this right now. Why do some people seem to experience extremely high levels of pain, while others do not? What if I told you that there are some people out there who cannot even experience pain. The whole concept of pain is a pretty crazy idea.

Acute pain, the type that most people experience, is a perception from your body. This is meant to protect you from hurting yourself without knowing it. We all know how it feels to have been accidently burnt by the stove, a curling iron, or just something hot. You know what I’m talking about when your affected body part instantly springs back before you can even process it. This reaction to pain is so fast, that the message is not even sent to the brain to process, but the brain stem. That is why we react before we can even process what has happened. Pain is meant to protect us.

TrpV1 is the nerve receptor responsible for this protective action. However, scientists and researchers cannot find any trace of it when looking into chronic pain. Theodore Price, a notable pain researcher who works for the University of Texas at Dallas remarks that, “Many scientists believe that chronic pain occurs when the nervous system itself gets broken.” He has explained that our cells, specifically nerve cells, have a pain memory. Hence why we don’t go around touching hot stoves. In the case of chronic pain though, research suggests that the broken nervous system is remembering a faulty way of receiving pain. This is what is creating the chronic pain cycle.

On the complete other side of the spectrum, there is actually a rare condition that causes people to not feel pain. It is called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP). As glorious as this may sound, children with the condition can end up literally poking their eyes out. As in Ashlyn Blocker’s case, scratching her cornea, biting her fingers, and chewing on her tongue. She never had her nervous system able to tell her brain, “Don’t do this!” CIP is a form of peripheral neuropathy. The gene SCN9A is mutated and does not form a specific sodium channel that allows for cells to make and get electrical signals. Just like chronic pain, CIP does not seem like a walk in the park to me.

Are these two connected in any way? As far as I can tell, no one is researching it. What if the research from both could be used to help each other out? If we know what is causing CIP, could we not make some form of a medicine for chronic pain patients? In the opposite, using what we know on chronic pain, could we not use that to help restore a pain system in people with CIP? I think scientists should start to research this possibility. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained, that has yet to be found.

Thank you for reading this article today. I hope you were able to learn more about the aspects behind pain in general. What are your thoughts on focusing research to benefit both people with chronic pain and CIP? Please subscribe for more great content and I’ll see you next time, my Un-imaginables!

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6 thoughts on “Inspecting the Motive for Pain”

I have experienced periods of extreme pain and I think that nerve pain is worse than any other types of pain. I think something that helped me deal with pain a lot easier was hypnosis and meditation. I have to have botox in my jaw for teeth grinding. I am allergic to anaesthetics and so I have to do without one for this. The pain is worse than childbirth and back surgery. Yet I am able to deal with it as I use meditation to get me through it. The meditation does not stop the pain but it enables me to breathe through it. If you understand my meaning!

I definitely understand! I deal with nerve pain as a main cause of my pain as well. It’s interesting to hear your take and I’m glad that meditation, hypnosis, and botox helps you. I find distraction is a big factor in helping me get through the pain. I hope you are having a beautiful day!

This is extremely interesting. I only recently discovered that my lack of pain is an issue; x-ray showing that I have broken 4 fingers without realising. Resulted in me having a deformed finger and nasty arthritis. It is very strange.